1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to laboratory instruments. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for removing wrinkles and bubbles in a paraffin ribbon set upon a water bath.
2. General Background
Whenever a section of tissue, organs or any part of the human body is removed through the process of surgery, a specimen or part of the specimen is sent to the histology laboratory for processing into microscopic slide examinations. Through a series of dehydrating alcohols and clearing chemicals, for example, dioxane, zylene, or benzene, the tissue specimen is impregnated with a non-water soluble wax called paraffin (paraplast). The specimen tissue is then completely encased in a block of the paraffin paraplast. It is mounted on a microtome and sliced at four to ten microns in thickness.
Due to the up and downward motion of the microtome block holder shaft, a paraffin ribbon is formed on the microtome knife. Each paraffin section adheres to the edge of the one preceding it. This extended ribbon, made up of the various paraffin sections connected end to end, is spread on a water bath with the water temperature at approximately 34-38 degrees Centigrade. The warm water assists in spreading out the ribbon and removing wrinkles from the paraffin wax. However, many smaller wrinkles and air bubbles are trapped in the sections while it is being laid on the water bath surface.
Presently, several items are utilized in the histology laboratory for removing these tiny wrinkles and bubbles from the paraffin ribbons, including, an artist's camel hair brush, a metal probe which resembles a mini "ice pick", the technician's fingers and cotton swabs.
Each of these methods have encountered various problems, mostly having to do with the inefficiency and cumbersomeness with which these particular apparatus have to be utilized over the delicately and thinly cut paraffin ribbon. However, in each of these methods, if the device utilized would have the slightest catch onto the paraffin ribbon, it would completely destroy the ribbon, and the paraffin mount would have to be redone.
Other methods would include the technician removing the wrinkles and bubbles by stretching out the paraffin ribbon until most of the wrinkles are out. Again, this works to a certain extent. However, by stretching the paraffin ribbon, the technician would start to separate the specimen to be examined. The specimen has been infiltrated with paraffin, so as the technician would pull on the ribbon, the specimen would crack and tear. This would create gaps and cracks which the pathologist must proportion back together under the microscope. Such an undertaking would be tedious and time consuming.
The present apparatus would solve the technician's problem in removing wrinkles and bubbles in paraffin ribbons with the use of a forceps-like apparatus. Some patents demonstrate forcep structures as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,486, entitled "Cervical Speculum" issued to J. Kogan would teach the use of an apparatus having a pair of handles, a pivot connecting said handles and a blade portion connected to each of the handles and extending on the opposite side of the pivot. The use of the instrument would be for dilating the mouth of the cervical canal by extending out the handle proportions of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,386,436, entitled "Dental Pliers" issued to W. C. Smith would teach the use of pliers particularly adapted for use by dentists in handling small particles of material for a positive grip is desirable and accuracy in application necessary. The improved pliers are formed from a single piece of metal intermediately bent to provide opposing jaws which are reduced in thickness and terminated the free ends of the jaws in laterally and obliquely projected beaks.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,861, entitled "Electrically Heated Miniature Thermal Implement" issued to A. Fukunaga, would teach the use of a miniature thermal wire strip having a pair of heater elements in the form of hollow tubes, each with a heater coil disposed therein in a fixture with a pair of spring loaded handles for contacting and subsequently melting through thermal insulation about a wire from which insulation is to be stripped.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,510,254 entitled "Pliers" issued to J. O. Boyle would teach the use of an instrument consisting of a pair of resilient, swingable arms, each having a pair of spacer spreader arms provided with teeth, the resilient and mounted arms being adapted to be moved into engagement with each other to permit insertion of the spreader arms into the incision so that the teeth may engage walls of the incision or may engage the skin for spreading the walls apart.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,728 entitled "Hair Tweezers" issued to G. T. Dale would teach the use of tweezers within the gripping portion of the tweezers are held in positive engagement with each other under spring pressure and the gripping action does not depend on the user holding the tweezers closed.
3. General Discussion of the Present Invention
The apparatus of the present invention provides a hand held apparatus for removing wrinkles in a think paraffin ribbon. The apparatus would have a pair of flexible normally angularly spaced handles connected at one end portion. Set upon other end portions of each handle would be an elongated strut portion forming an integral section with the handles and disposed at an angle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the handles. The strut members would form an integral projection with spreader portions disposed at the other end of the strut members and at an angle to the strut members. The spreader portions would generally comprise a spreader arm forming a support for a spreader pad, the latter being fixedly connected at the top portion of the spreader arm. The spreader pads would be substantantially convex on the top surface and connected to the spreader arm midway along the lowers surface. The top surface of the spreader pads would also be coated with a paraffin non-adhesive material. In the operation, the handles would maintain the spreader arms apart from one another. Upon contraction of the handles, the spreader arms and spreader pads would move together and align themselves to form a spreader surface upon which the underside of the paraffin ribbon would rest against. The arms would then be allowed to reflex back to their normal position, thus the spreader pads moving outward away from one another spreading the paraffin ribbon smooth. The top free end of the handle portions would be tapered off into a needle point, so that the paraffin ribbon, which are connected end to end, could be separated from one another with the pointed end.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand held device useful in the preparation of paraffin ribbon type microscopic slides.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for removing bubbles and the like from microscopic slide paraffin ribbons during the slide preparation stage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for removing bubbles and wrinkles from paraffin ribbons while supported on a water bath and prior to microscopic slide mounting.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a microscopic slide paraffin ribbon manipulating device which is easy to use and simple in operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device useful in the preparation of paraffin ribbons for mounting on microscopic slides which both flattens and removes wrinkles and bubbles from the paraffin ribbon on a water bath as well as provides means for cutting excess portions of the paraffin ribbon from the useful portion.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spreader device for use in preparation of miscroscopic slide paraffin ribbons which does not adhere to the paraffin ribbon during the manipulation thereof.